Salt Therapy

Came across this new therapy last week, never heard of this before – it’s new and becoming quite popular in the UK.

Salt therapy or alternatively Halo therapy, is just what it is – using salt as an alternative therapy to treat some respiratory disorders like asthma, sinusitis, hay fever, ear infection, psoriasis, cough, chronic bronchitis, eczema and respiratory allergies. So what is salt therapy I hear you ask – this type of therapy dates back 200 years when physicians in Eastern Europe used to send their patients with respiratory illnesses down the salt caves to help heal them. This was discovered when the miners seemed to have less respiratory disorders than the general public.

Salt therapy is a drug free treatment that replicates the healing microclimate within a naturally occurring salt cave. The microclimate is recreated in a room filled with sea salt on the walls and floor in a therapeutic setting. The reason for this is that the sea salt absorbs moisture and impurities in the room while the untreated sea salt or sodium chloride mixed with air is pumped into the room through a device creating the microclimate. Humidity and temperature are controlled to maintain comfort and maximum benefits the salt can bring.

Salt is used because it is known to have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties which are key for this kind of therapy. When the salt is breathed in, it can embed deeply into the lower lungs, which is where the respiratory problems are. Once in the system, it dissolves and absorbs bacteria and clears away mucus which otherwise block the airways.

This therapy has apparently been clinically tested and has been certified to be 100% safe – for both adults and kids, which is why it is available also on the NHS. I must say I’m not quite sure about this therapy, bit sceptical and worried about breathing in salt even though they are ground down to very small particles and hardly noticeable. Think I would still be very aware I’m breathing in salt, but I don’t have any of those problems listed. I guess people who do suffer from the problems would try whatever is on offer to get much needed relief – if it works for them.

Health care practitioners advice people not to stop using their medication like steroids. I would agree with that and add that it should be used alongside any medication, and the medication gradually reduced if the therapy actually works for you. There have been quite a few documented success stories I have to say, and few negatives. We are all different individuals, so like with everything in life, things don’t work the same way for everyone.

There is a company who seem to be the authority on this therapy in the UK and actually brought it here called The Salt Cave. They use a technology known as the Breeze Tronic Pro technology which provides the perfect, individual microclimate for each session. For those of you looking for alternative treatments for the listed ailments and who are willing to try this therapy, they have branches in London, Kent, Edinburgh and Milton Keynes. A word of caution though, always check with your doctors before trying out new therapies and make sure whatever salt therapy companies you use are certified and above board.

Peace and fabulous health!